Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Orange County Buddhist Church

    4.8 (31 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

    Orange County Buddhist Church Photos

    More like Orange County Buddhist Church

    Recommended Reviews - Orange County Buddhist Church

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    menu
    Van D.

    I came to the Orange County Buddhist church for their annual Obon Festival. The Obon Festival is an annual Japanese Buddhist celebration to honor the spirits of their ancestors. The biggest light bulb moment occurred when someone told me it took place during the 7th month of the year. I am Buddhist too but since I celebrate my religious holidays with lunar calendar dates, I didn't realize this was the equivalent to our Vu Lan celebration... except the Obon Festival is a lot more fun!! From an outsider's point of view, this event has drums, music, traditional group dancing, Japanese street foods and snacks and festival games. If any of that sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend coming by for their celebration when it comes around again. I heard parking is difficult but the Orange County Buddhist Church is so well organized, they managed a shuttle system where you can park at Magnolia High School nearby and take the shuttle over to the temple. The shuttle was very efficient and it was FREE :) When I got there the drums were beating and there was a traditional dance that correlated with the beats of the drum. There were many attendees dressed in beautiful Kimonos and cute little kids running around with the little fishes they won from the little games. As I walked deeper and deeper into the crowd I began to smell grilled squid so I follow the scent to get in line for the Ika Teriyaki ($6.50). It was a pretty big portion, really flavorful, but a bit cooled down for my liking. I enjoyed it as I got in line for some Dango ($3.50/5 pieces). These Dangos were fried balls of pastries, almost donut-like. They were freshly made and warm with powder sugar and cinnamon available for you to add to your preference. I enjoyed the Dango as I got in line for Shaved Ice ($3.50). You can get up to 4 flavors of shaved ice but I only got the Strawberry and Matcha with Condense Milk ($1). It was the perfect little treat for a hot summers day. I especially love how potent the taste of matcha was and the condense milks makes it perfect. Funny story though... As I was walking around with my shaved ice the cutest little boy was like, "excuse me!" I was so caught off guard I seriously thought he lost his parents or something. Then he said, "Would you like a free fish?" I said I didn't and I feel so bad cause he looked so sad... I should have just said yes to make him happy and then give the fish to some other kid... *sigh* This is seriously one cute kid though... Not in a creepy way, but more like... I wouldn't mind having a kid if I knew they would be so cute. I had a lot of fun and I am glad that I went. A special thank you to my Yelp friend Jen H. for the information about this Obon Festival. I love cultural events and celebrations so I would want to come back again next year if the timing is convenient for my schedule. My only regret is that I came a bit later in the night due to prior engagements so some of the food items were already out. Be sure to come early if you want all the yummy food.

    High energy Buddhist Temple volunteer. Also the Japanese language instructor for the Temple. 頑張ってね!!!
    Gary I.

    Orange County Japanese Buddhist Temple's Obon Festival in Anaheim is usually on the 3rd weekend in July. Obon is the time to honor ancestors whose spirits temporarily come back to earth to visit w/ beloved family members. It's kind of like Dia de los Muertos for Mexicans to respect their dead on November 1 which may date itself to pre-Columbian cultures before the dreaded Spanish conquest. Japanese Americans have lost much of the rituals & ritual objects relating to Obon from their own home regions in Japan, but the Bon Odori/dancing in a circle to honor the dead is still de rigueur. Enthusiastic, lively Taiko/Japanese drumming by a coordinated troupe is now part of the Japanese American celebration of Obon which is a fairly new innovation in the last 30 or so years. Also, some of the food such as Chirashi Sushi, Maki Sushi (all using cooked items), Beef or Chicken Teriyaki, Ko-ri/snow cones that are as fine as snow many times topped w/ sweet braised brown Azuki beans. Okinawa Dango or Anda-sa-gi/round donuts on a stick abound. They even have Geso/squid tentacles bbqing on the grill. Since we live in Socal, a place where many cultures & ethnicities come together, there will be Kim Chi, Cha-shu-. Tamales, Burgers, Hot Dogs sneaking in. That diversity is what makes living here so great. Maybe African American innovation of Southern BBQ will be the next wave to come crashing onto Obon. Phillip's BBQ in Leimert Park, where are you when we need you? There are also great baked goods of American & Japanese inspiration. The Obon Festival here is extremely well organized, and the operations work like a fine watch. The variety, quality, execution of food here is impressive. There is an energy that makes people volunteering here look happy, hospitable, & welcoming. One of the best Obon Festivals in Socal. It's only once a year, but well worth the wait. 4+ Yelp stars. PS This is a Buddhist TEMPLE, not a church which usually connotes Christian places of worship. But a rose is a rose......

    Goldfish pong
    Roy B.

    I was introduced to OCBC some 7-8 years ago as my oldest daughter started attending Girl Scouts with some of her BFF's. My son started Cub Scouts (now a BS) the following year. I was quickly involved and became a den leader and have been very involved as a Scoutmaster ever since. They also both participate in SEYO basketball and have played for OCBC teams for almost as long as scouts. They also have attended Japanese school here, as being Ha-pa I thought It was important that they learn as much about their Japanese heritage as possible. This is a great place for kids. While I'm not Buddhist, I probably am becoming so through osmosis. I spend a serious amount of time here throughout the course of the year. Scouts, B-ball, School, etc. Sometimes as many as 3-4-5 days in a week. I have met some really great people here and am glad that OCBC was pulled into my life. This once was a traditional Japanese church it is now a cross cultural, multi ethenic church that draws continuity from its members. The church holds 2 major events during the course of the year Hanamatsuri and Obon. And as a parent of active OCBC kids you and the kids volenteer for both helping man the food booths and games. Live martial arts demos, musical entertainment, traditional dancing, craft sales, FOOD, and friendship = OBON Hanamatsuri and Obon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanamatsuri Buddaha's b-day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Festival A day to honor ones ancestors. Obon Pics. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/odY_fei74qw4deFKYdCXxg?select=xuhcEe-tO4M0cvv8CJHy1A#eoCRNZitar7isZMQWwxZnA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/odY_fei74qw4deFKYdCXxg?select=xuhcEe-tO4M0cvv8CJHy1A#PQLizOckVpppkZXksYbbjA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/odY_fei74qw4deFKYdCXxg?select=xuhcEe-tO4M0cvv8CJHy1A#3v5l6ig5ytgaGgqh5Y9A_Q http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/odY_fei74qw4deFKYdCXxg?select=xuhcEe-tO4M0cvv8CJHy1A#fd2YNjab1L9dSYMKqL5MOw http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/odY_fei74qw4deFKYdCXxg?select=xuhcEe-tO4M0cvv8CJHy1A#WgZigSZtwAuCKrBoqGJqTA Fun times are had by all and there is the food. At OBON I ate today: Teriaki Beef sammy, wonderfully grilled with lettuice Tomatoes and condiments of your choosing. Yum 2x Fresh white corn on the cobb with butter and hot Mexican spice mix. YUM Dango Dog..... A jumbo hot dog deep fried in dango batter . Awesome with Siriacha and mustard! Spam Dango..... Deep fried chunk of spam, deep fried again in dango batter.....this is the bomb with mustard! Spam Musabe .... A spam sushi popular in Hawaii..... delish! Ika, grilled squid...Smells foul tastes great Other Eats: Teri Chicken sammy... tender and tasty good. Chow Mein.... Huge baked goods booth. All homemade and donated goodies. Udon noodles ... hot and yummy Beef Teri Plate Chichi Dango balls... kind of like a old fashoned buttermilk doughnut. With cinimon and shugar. Shushi plates And more......................... Get here early or miss out.

    The Hondo
    Stephanie I.

    It's July and that means OBON season. Just got back from the OCBC OBON festival. Which got me thinking. OCBC Rocks! (Can a church rock? I guess if there is Christian rock...) Here's why: On religion: Talk about a western version of Jodo Shinshu that is broken down into bite size pieces. Rev. Harada and Rev. Miyagi are awesome. Rev Harada is the English speaking minister and a great person to learn from. He's very down to earth and embodies the true buddhist spirit. On community: Please. I only wish I could transplant the people behind the many programs that make this church as special to SF. From cultural activities like taiko, ikebana, japanese shcool etc. to organized sports, basketball, baseball, v-ball etc. to age oriented groups (pre-teen), teens, young adults, adults etc... they have it all. Not to mention a very active and engaged congregation. On diversity: Welcome to 2006. The once a predominantly Japanese American congregation has evolved with the times and today you'll find a beautiful integration of people that attend and support this church. What can I say... I practically grew up around this place. It's way more than religion it's community. No... not commune. Community.

    Food @ Obon festival
    Jem K.

    // Obon Festival Parking: came here at 530pm parked @ the magnolia high school and theres a shuttle that takes you to the the buddhist temple. The parking attendants were very organized. It wasnt hard to get parking. Shuttle doesn't take too long to arrive. When we got to the event, we noticed parking across the temple.. and some street parking too Festival: there were alot of people and different vendors (food, desert, drinks, plants) Food: there are seats inside the gym and thats where u buy the udon as well. (I posted a picture of the food pricing.) u go to a table, get the "ordering paper", fill it out, fall in line, pay, get utensils from a different table, eat.:) they accept credit card for $20 minimum purchase. @6ish pm, bought the last Imagawa Kawi. They were already sold out. I barely made it. The other food stalls were starting to sold out as well. so make sure you arrive before 6 on saturday. Probably earlier on sunday. Since one of the vendors mentioned that they used up some of their backup for sunday. :) we came in time to try out different food. @630pm: the start of performances and dancing Shuttle going home didnt take too long either. This is a well planned family friendly event. people were nice And youll see cute kids walking around in kimono. Tip: bring lawn chAirs if you dont feel like finding a spot at the gym (It gets busy in there) and if u want to sit to watch the performances. You may also bring your own water... although drinks here is just for $1. I think parking at the highschool is better since its bigger.

    Oden
    Pud B.

    Went to the obon which is always great! Plenty of parking and tons of fun! dango donuts (not pictured): just thick donut holes that taste great. The texture is really crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Shaved ice green tea and strawberry: delicious!!! I would prob just green tea next time bc strawberry is basic haha Oden: delicioussss but this year I didnt get konyakku which I think was included last yearrrr and I wish they gave me more broth.

    Kirsten L.

    My friends and I went to the Hanamatsuri festival today; it's the Buddist festival celebrating Buddha's birthday. I got the beef udon $6 and diet coke $1. Udon is delicious. See photo. The festival is free. Cool it's 230pm and we are watching a Japanese tea ceremony called Hanamatsuri (Hana = flower; Matsuri = festival). They explained the tea ceremony and afterwards we were served cookies/sweets then tea each. See photos. This is so amazing! Now we went to see Chigiri-e; the art of tearing hand made papers and making works of art. See photos. This is so cool!

    Lina F.

    Went here for a bonsai exhibit. The temple is clean and spacious and a great place to hold an event such as this. I enjoyed looking at all the displays and going to the demo and sitting in on the class. I might have to get into this..

    See all

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 25
    Thanks 5
    Love this 26
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 32
    Thanks 0
    Love this 27
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Roy B.
    727
    824
    6843

    14 years ago

    Helpful 19
    Thanks 0
    Love this 16
    Oh no 0

    20 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Pud B.
    664
    386
    2489

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dennis R.
    154
    14
    8

    18 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lina F.
    1204
    542
    1900

    11 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Judy H.
    33
    133
    0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0
    Photo of K K.
    61
    490
    677

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sophorn T.
    200
    229
    153

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    19 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Amy H.
    122
    50
    24

    14 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of David W.
    16
    199
    111

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of KK W.
    109
    161
    17

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lisa S.
    58
    13
    0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lili K.
    84
    115
    31

    13 years ago

    At the ICBC Obon Festival with friends! Good prices, dancers in kimonos, taiko performers and plenty of Japanese food! 5 stars!!

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lauren S.
    93
    183
    20

    19 years ago

    The OBON festival is great! I've been there a few times. It's a good place to get good food and just spend time with friends and family.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Brooklyn C.
    48
    420
    103

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    19 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Orange County Buddhist Church

    I am still exploring Buddhism. Would this be a good place for me?

    Yes, I think this would be a good place to explore the Buddhism. Services/sermons are primarily given in English, though there are Japanese sermons available. Kids have an opportunity to attend Sunday school. There are also programs for adults,… Read more

    View All 3 Questions

    Review Highlights - Orange County Buddhist Church

    Obon is the time to honor ancestors whose spirits temporarily come back to earth to visit w/ beloved family members.

    Mentioned in 12 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    Eastside Christian Church

    Eastside Christian Church

    4.1(103 reviews)
    8.1 mi

    Eastside has been our home for many years. My wife and I moved here just before COVID and were…read moredragging our feet in finding a church that matched the church community that we met each other at back in Chicago. After running into our former Chicago youth leader at Disneyland, he suggested that we give Eastside a shot. Eastside's values are to Pursue God, Build Community, and Unleash Compassion and you'll struggle to find a more genuine and compassionate group of Christians in any area of the country or world. They have a genuine heart for the broken hearted, the struggling, the addicted, and the unchurched/uncertain and anyone will find themselves at home here, even if you don't believe you are a Christian (in fact their unofficial motto is "this is for everyone"). There's a place for everyone to volunteer or serve here too, whether it's in Production, at the cafe, as a greeter or in the kids ministry, Kidside (which is always a highlight of my daughter's week!) I highly encourage you to give Eastside a shot if you want a church or are interested in learning more about Christianity! Interested in checking Eastside out? Please dm me. I'd be happy to sit with you in service and make introductions!

    Eastside Christian church has been home since right before Covid and has always been the best…read more Starting from knowing no one to having a small group to finding my now wife through church events, God is always working. The pastors and people are very welcoming and families can enjoy with their loved ones. The best church in SoCal, including all locations!

    Photos
    Eastside Christian Church
    Eastside Christian Church
    Eastside Christian Church  - $2 large coffee to wake up on Sunday mornings. Out of donuts for the 10:30AM service though!

    See all

    $2 large coffee to wake up on Sunday mornings. Out of donuts for the 10:30AM service though!

    The Rock - Outdoor seating

    The Rock

    4.0(62 reviews)
    4.8 mi

    My partner and I came here for the Saturday evening mass at 5pm. I love that they offer evening…read moremasses!!!! So awesome for people that are not morning people. I don't do mornings at all and can never get up for church lol The mass was pretty long. It started with worship music, then went into prayer, and followed with the message. Everyone was very friendly. I think my only concern was that the entire time we were there, we only went over 7 versus from the Bible. Majority of the time the message was please donate. Now, I understand that the church needs donations and stuff, but when the prayer turns into "let's pray for a million dollars" that doesn't really sit well with me. I get that the million dollars is for the church to expand and get the app going in different languages, etc. But did we really just pray for a million dollars? My partner and I found that to be really odd. But overall, I think the intention of this church is good. There's very nice people that run it and attend. We felt welcome by all. Lots of diversity at this church, which is nice. It would have been nice to have more Bible versus rather than so much "we need money" talk. Below is the schedule they have for masses: Happening Weekly Wednesday Men's Prayer @ 5:00 AM (in-person) & @ 5:30 AM (on Zoom)* Beyond Young Adults (18-29) @ 7:00 PM Thursday Women's Prayer for California on Zoom @ 6:30 AM, cameras off ©* Youth (Jr. High & High School) @ 6:30 PM JERRY & KIMBERLY DIRMANN Senior Pastors Upcoming Events April 2: Monthly Prayer Gathering 4-6: Men's Camp 28: Men's 3XY May 7: Monthly Prayer Gathering 11-12: Mother's Day Weekend 17: Moms and Sons Night June 4: Monthly Prayer Gathering 9: Men's 3XY 14-15: Family Conference 15-16: Father's Day Weekend 21-22: Jesus Disciple Rally Saturday Service @ 5:00 PM (including Kids) Sunday Service @ 8:00 AM (including Kids) Services @ 9:30 & 11:30 AM (including Kids and Youth) Baptisms after 11:30 service (Ist & 3rd Sundays)

    I really hate to give a low review but I've never felt the need to walk out of service before…read moretoday. This was my 2nd time here and the first time I came I remember it was fine. It's a bit ways out from me but today they happened to have a guest speaker, the pastor who introduced him told us to go into this with an open heart and leave put our blue or red hats away as to not have a political point of view. And he mentioned this twice. So half way through the speaker talking I realized why, the speaker kept going on and on about how things were aligned for Trump to be chosen into office comparing it to Jehu a warrior king from Old Testament. He mentioned Hilary Clinton and Kamala Harris in another comparison. He also said "the left side is lost and too far gone but there also people on conservative side now lost" I have never been to service that talks like this. Maybe it was this 1 time or maybe this just isn't for me at all but I couldn't continue to hear him talk about political figures so I left. And I now probably will not visit here again. The worship was great and also the Pastor who introduced the speaker was great too.

    Photos
    The Rock - About to start

    About to start

    The Rock
    The Rock

    See all

    Orange County Buddhist Church - churches - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...